Mykonos – What you need to know before going

Booked your trip to Mykonos? Don’t know what to expect? Well here are a few tips that might help. Do bare in mind I was in Mykonos on a family holiday, so if you’re looking to hear about the night-life, unfortunately, you won’t find it here

Transport 1.0: There are little to no taxis on the island, so the ones that are around are madly expensive therefore I would try to avoid where possible. Our resort sent someone to come and collect us from the airport. It might be a good idea to contact your resort before you arrive and see if they provide a transfer.

Will you like it?: If you don’t like beaches, cancel your trip immediately. If you love beaches like me, change your flight to stay a week longer! The island is full of the most amazing beaches with white sand and crystal clear sea.

Super Paradise beach

Where I stayed and why?: We stayed in Ornos, and I couldn’t recommend it more. It is a short but scenic drive along the coast of the island to Mykonos town. Ornos itself still has a really nice buzz about it and some cool beach clubs (usually really busy) and really nice restaurants close by. Although staying in Mykonos town seems like a good idea it usually gets very busy in the summer months with people getting off cruise ships to explore the city so I think you would be better to stay a bit outside the centre of Mykonos town.

Mykonos town and what it has to offer: Make sure you leave at LEAST one night to go into Mykonos town to eat and look around – it’s a lot bigger than you would think. We went in on 3 different nights and I still felt as though there were many things that I didn’t see. If you like shopping in both little boutiques and for designer brands you will love Mykonos town. However, it is one of the most uncommercialised places I’ve ever been. All of the shops are in the most gorgeous white washed buildings so you can shop without losing the authenticity.

Mykonos town

Transport 2.0: Most people rent quad bikes and little jeeps to get around the island, we got a little jeep for the 5 of us and I don’t think it was that expensive. The island is so small it is a short one hour drive to get all the way to the other side. I will warn you, the Greek people think the rules of the road are a loose concept, so do be careful and be expecting anything to happen. This meant we were able to go to a different beach nearly every day – I would highly recommend trying to go to at least two beaches during your stay. They are amazing.

DONUTS: Get a Nutella donut from the donut man that walks along the beach.

Weather and what to expect: I was in Mykonos at the end of June and around mid-day, the temperatures would soar. I love the heat and even I struggled with it, so if you are going to rent a sun bed in one of the beach clubs make sure there is an option to get into the shade and get a drink to cool down.

Ornos Beach

Ornos Beach

Food and drink, my favorites: If you are looking for a nice place to have dinner and have a drink I have two places for you. They aren’t exactly cheap but with spectacular food and drink and views that are even better they are definitely worth it.

HippieFish – located in Agios Ioannis (Shirley Valentine beach)

Any of the bars in ‘Little Venice’ in Mykonos town. Can’t remember the exact name of the one I went to but they all have outdoor terraces similar to the one pictured.

Note: Finally, the airport is tiny with one shop to buy spirits and some souvenirs so don’t leave gift shopping until last minute.

Have an amazing time and make the most of the laid back Greek culture! Until next time.